Crusty Oven is a takeaway tart shop, opened by primary school classmates Noel Yu and Marcus Aw, who trained at Drips Cafe, and Dough and Grains.

What makes a great tart? One, the balance of the filling (or is it feeling?), and two, the tart shell. A good tart shell must be brittle and thin, but not crumbly and dry. And Crusty Oven’s shells are excellent: they break cleanly, and aren’t soggy.

With this criteria in mind (balanced filling, and good shells), the small individual tarts fared better than the big tarts that come in slices. My favorite was the sea salt caramel dark chocolatetart ($4.50), intense, sexy, and mysterious–you can taste all the flavors distinctly. The fresh fruit tart ($3.20) was a delightful contrast to the previous tart, light, bright, and clean. The other small tarts I tasted, including blueberry cheese tart ($1.60), chocolate royale tart ($2.20), a tall chocolate cheese tart ($1.60), passed muster too.

The sliced tarts didn’t do as well. I thought they were doughy, and rather flat, especially the macadamiatart ($4.90). If you must, go for the slightly livelier brandied cherry tart ($4.90).